listening to a pastor preach on the way in this morning, and telling the story of Thomas and his doubting, and when Thomas, you know, Christ told him to, you know, press your hand into my palms and into my side, and it didn't even take that, did it? He just said, when he saw, he said, my Lord and my God. That sends shivers up my spine every time I hear that account, because he had to see, but we get to believe by faith. And Christ said that in those moments. He said, you know, you knew it, you believed because you could see it, but more blessed are those that have not seen it and believe it by faith. And I think we're eminently blessed for that reason. Am I coming through okay, Tom? Okay, move it up. Okay, that's what I thought. Yeah, a little higher there. How's that? All right. I'll put my mouth down here like that too, so. Anyway, recall last week we got to get introduced to Joseph and what life was like when it was in the pits. Joseph has had some trials as a young man that got him sold into slavery by the people he trusted most in the world, his brothers. They may have been half brothers, but they were sons of the man that was his father. And that's pretty rough. We did see that Reuben was a little weak in that he allowed them to get away with that by not telling their father the actual truth. I know he regretted that. later in the scripture we find that. So today we're going to talk about temptation. How do we terminate temptation? Now, we're about to find out in this scripture here, this is Genesis 39, 1 through 23, that Joseph is put in charge of a lot of stuff in his new role. He's tempted in that, but never weak and never gives into that temptation. And that's the example that we're gonna look at being set for us. So, we come to one of the most famous temptations recorded in the Bible. Temptation is inevitable for all of us, is it not? I think we all know that, just how weak we are, because we do yield to temptation, even with our best intentions. But we look in, there were no exceptions, because even Jesus Christ was tempted. It's recorded in the scriptures. If you look at Luke 4-2, being 40 days tempted of the devil. This is just after he was baptized. Went into the world and 40 days out there, the devil tempted him. And in those days, he did eat nothing. So 40 days without a meal. That's good reason to think about giving in to those temptations, but not our Lord. And when they were ended, he afterward hungered. I imagine he did. It would be a tough thing to be 40 days without food. However, what does Hebrews 4.15 tell us? In 15th verse of Hebrews 4, it says, for we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. So he felt all of the infirmities we feel, but because he was altogether perfect and holy, he was able to resist those temptations. He was in all points tempted like as we are, yet he did not, or without, he was without sin, he did not sin. Through his example of resisting temptation, Jesus helps us learn to overcome our own temptations. Jesus quoted scriptures, therefore we must know the Bible. If you look in Matthew 4, 4, let's start with the third verse. And when the tempter came to him, he said, if thou be the son of God, if thou be the son of God, the devil knew exactly who he was. But being the liar he is, he said, if thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But Jesus answered and said, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. That's our defense against temptation. And in Matthew 4, 7, Jesus says again, it is written again, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God, or try to put him to proof or trial. That's just not to be done. And in Matthew 4.10, Again, Jesus saying, then saith Jesus unto him, get thee hence, Satan. A lot of times we hear this quoted as get behind me, which is a good saying, but get thee hence, Satan, for it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. So Satan's trying to get him to bow down to him and tells him that he's gonna give him all these countries. Well, they already are his countries. Ah, but Satan knew that. One portion of scripture we need to know is Genesis 39 then, because it contains three principles we must follow to terminate temptation. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Father, we come to you this morning just so grateful for all that you show us in the Bible. We're especially grateful today, Lord, for the sacrifice of your son, Jesus, and what he did for us on the cross, and what he showed the world in his power to return from the dead and to take our sins to hell where they belong, but not having to stay there and bear them. Lord, we just ask now that you'd be with us as we study this lesson, and we ask that you would be with us in the after service and give the pastor the words you'd have him to speak and ears to us so we can hear. These things we pray in Jesus' precious and holy name, amen. Okay, so the first principle is, Emulate, now that it's not immolate because there's a difference there, right? We all know that. Immulate means to act like or pretend to be or perform. Immolate is setting someone on fire. That's not a good thing. Sometimes we need to have a fire lit under us, but that's not what we're talking about here. So emulate Joseph's integrity. Joseph's a good example of integrity in everything that he ever does. In Genesis, the reference here is Genesis 39, one through six. So in our previous lesson, we saw Joseph was envied by his brothers. His brothers just could not tolerate, and when he had the dreams, it got worse. Those brothers then sold him into slavery. And the slave traders, being Ishmaelites, took him down into Egypt, where they sold him to this guy named Potiphar. Now, we mentioned that last week as well, that that was where he went. Potiphar was the captain of Pharaoh's guards. Now, in Genesis 39, one, we read, and Joseph was brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmaelites, which had brought him down thither. Now Joseph advances rapidly in Potiphar's household. But the important thing is, why did he advance rapidly? We find the reason in phrases like, the Lord was with Joseph and the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. That's Genesis 39, two and three, and I'll read. And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man, and he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand." As a result of that, then, what happens? Well, Genesis 39, 5. And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptians' house for Joseph's sake. And the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house and in the field. Potiphar just simply observes Joseph and discovers he is an honest, hardworking man. Therefore, he trusts Joseph with everything and doesn't even know what he has. Potiphar doesn't know. He just knows it's getting more and more piled up all the time. And to him, that's a very good thing. Except, and it does go on to say that, for the food he eats in Genesis 39, 6. And I'll read that now. And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand, and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. You can see there was plenty of bread. And Joseph was a goodly person and well favored. However, Joseph's advancement also results from the fact he doesn't act holier than thou. He's not acting like a proud person, even though he's working for a pagan. So he was light years ahead in his spiritual place, but he didn't want to insult his master by acting holier than thou. Because of Joseph, the Lord's blessings are on all of Potiphar's possessions. Joseph is an example of how God expects every Christian to work, even in circumstances that are far from ideal. This could be in your workplace. Even when working for an unbeliever, we need to remember this command from Colossians 3.23. reading, and whatsoever ye do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not unto men. So you're supposed to act in your workplace when you're employed by a person, you're supposed to be treating them like you would the Lord in the same circumstance. This means Christians should not goof off at work. Anybody here ever know anybody who goofed off at work? I would say there's probably some of us that have when we shouldn't have. But in our military times, Art, there was times that it was sheer boredom until sheer terror broke in. So you can be forgiven a little bit for that. But you know people at work who come in late? They leave early or take longer than allotted breaks for lunch hours or lunch hours. Working in a place where there is vulgarity or favoritism doesn't excuse us from following Joseph's example. Joseph is a very successful business manager, accountant, and chief financial officer all rolled into one. But what else do we discover in Genesis 39.6? Is that he was a goodly person and well-favored? Well, he knew, this is again repeating what was said before, he knew that Potiphar, he appreciated that everything Joseph did was profitable, but he didn't know what he had. And Joseph, again, continued to be a godly person and well-favored. So it's possible to be in even a hostile workplace and be a godly person and well-favored. As always, with great success and good looks come great temptations. So where are we going here? Well, we probably all remember a story about Mrs. Potiphar, and that's where we're gonna go next. To terminate temptation, we gotta remember, though, to emulate Joseph's integrity. Always be upright and doing the right thing for the right reasons. All right, so the second point eliminate tempting situations. This is Genesis 39, seven through 12. Now, Joseph's good looks do not escape the eye of Mrs. Potiphar. She was, of course, a pagan herself and a wife of a pagan. Therefore, one day, what does she command her husband, slave, to do in Genesis 39, seven? We'll read. And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph. And she said, lie with me. Now we all know what that implies. And that is not a good thing, especially for Joseph. Because at any point, that could become a bad thing for Joseph with Mr. Potiphar. Young Joseph is no doubt startled, I can only imagine being stunned and being dumbstruck by someone saying that to you, by this order from his master's wife. She could be a formidable ally as a lover or a vicious enemy if she scorned or he refuses. However, because Joseph is a man of integrity, he refuses and reminds Mrs. Potiphar of how her husband has trusted him with everything he owns. He also tells her how kind Mr. Potiphar has been to him by keeping nothing from him except his wife. See, that's a foregone conclusion in Joseph's mind. That's his wife, that's just not, it's wrong. And everybody seems to know that, but yet that tends to become a subject matter and a topic. So this is found Genesis 39, eight and nine. But he refused and said unto his master's wife, behold, my master watteth. Now, watteth means what? You guys know, can you? Yeah, he knows, my master doesn't know, and knows not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to me to my hand. There is none greater in this house than I. Neither hath he kept back anything from me but thee. So maybe there was an instruction already given to Joseph about that particular thing, because he actually comes out and says that to Mrs. Potiphar. Because thou art his wife, and how then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God? These are all valid, great points, aren't they? This is how we should all approach when sin confronts us. We are most vulnerable to temptation when we think we have arrived. We are finally successful. For example, Noah didn't give in to temptation until after the flood. He worked hard, he built that ark, he got all the animals on board, they sailed the thing till it hit ground and then he planted a vineyard. And what was on his mind when he planted the vineyard? I'm certain it had something to do with invito, invino as they say. He was gonna have a nice little, sit down with his wine bottle. King David didn't fall into sin with Bathsheba until after he led the weak, rivaling tribes of Israel to become the most powerful nation in that part of the world. Another time the evil one tempts us, very severely, is when we take a big step in our spiritual lives. He's always waiting to jump on your back. For example, immediately after Jesus' baptism, what happened? Matthew 4, 1. Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. So there's that temptation coming after a spiritual event that Christ did because he was being obedient to his father. But now comes the devil. Temptation is also very hard to resist when it's constant. There's a drumbeat, it's there, it's there, it's there. The devil knows we have weak moments, therefore he keeps up the pressure, trying to exploit us during those times. Mrs. Potiphar keeps tempting Joseph day by day to go to bed with her. This is Genesis 39, 10. And it came to pass as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her to lie by her or to be with her. But not only does Joseph refuse to go to bed with her, But he also does this in Genesis, he says, he refused to even lie by her or to be with her. So that means he's keeping himself away from where these confrontations can take place. You just, you know, when something bad is happening in a certain place, you just avoid that place. That's only sensible. And that's what Joseph did. This means he would not even be in her company. To terminate temptation, we must stay away from places and situations where temptation is likely to be strong. You don't want to be tempted by alcohol and by women. Don't go to the blue moon. That's a good example of a thing to do, right? That's where the temptation is going to confront you. Don't share your problems with a coworker who just happens to be of the opposite gender, who seems to understand everything you say. Who's there? It's the devil. Young people shouldn't go to parties where drinking, drugs, and other behavior are likely to lead to premarital sex or are present. Those kinds of temptations are present. You just shouldn't do that. That's avoid, well, we're told in the scripture also to avoid the very appearance of evil. Stay away from it. Stay away from anything that could be, someone could say, well, aha, you're a Christian? Really? I saw you at X or O, wherever. Anyway, finally, Mrs. Potiphar thinks she has the perfect opportunity one day when she is home alone with Joseph, who is there doing his work. This is Genesis 39, 12. And she caught him by his garment. So she must have been sneaking around kind of quietly because he's working, and she comes up behind him, grabs his garment, and saying lie with me and he left his garment in his, he ran right out of his clothes. Probably, but now she has a prop to him. And he left his garment in her hand and fled and got him out. So he left the house. The Bible tells us all of our temptations are common. Do we have any temptations that haven't already been presented to every man or woman who has lived on this planet before us? No, they're all common. This means there are no new temptations, no new sins. It also tells us God is faithful and will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to bear. We find this in 1 Corinthians 10.13. And I read, there hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man. But God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able. But will with the temptation also make a way to escape? So every time you've succumbed to temptation, there was an out there that you didn't take that exit. Breaks my heart to think about that in terms of my relationship with Christ and how long that relationship existed before I followed some of those temptations. There's weakness in human frailty, there is. If we are committed to the Lord, he will always provide a way out. When we are tempted, sometimes a simple no will do. At other times, continued resistance is required. Then there are times when radical action must be taken. And like Joseph, we must leave. I have an example of that in my personal life as well. When I was in the Air Force, my young part of my Air Force career, I had a top-secret security clearance and I had absolutely to avoid certain behaviors. It was just required because I could lose that clearance and then lose my career. I didn't want that to happen. So I went over to my, my cousin happened to live in Las Vegas where I was stationed at Nellis Air Force Base. And I went over to her house on a Saturday, late Saturday afternoon and had dinner with her and her husband. And after dinner, we were sitting in their living room talking and Bob gets up and walks out of the room and then he comes back and he's got a little tin. And he opens that thing up and starts rolling marijuana joints. And I said, I wish you hadn't done that. Now, why? Because I don't wanna lose everything that's of value to me in my career. But also, there's a Christian question here. That's not Christ-like to sit and numb yourself with marijuana. And I said, I've got to leave. I said, I'm sorry. And Donna was like, my cousin, she's like, well, you don't have to go. I said, I gotta go because I'm here present in this house. Anything, if for some reason someone was to come knock the door, just out of the blue, anything could cause me to lose my clearance and lose my military career. And I'm not going to do that. And I got up and I left. It was very hard because I loved my cousin. But it was also her brother, her younger brother, had just been kicked out of the Air Force at Osan Air Base because he was guarding the nuclear weapons storage facility. And he got caught with 100 other guys using drugs at Osan. And so she knew that there was facts in what I was saying. And she apologized to me later. But her husband was rather like, you're a jerk or something like that. But I'm not staying. Thank you for your food. But I can't stay. Anyway, that's just one example that came to me as I was writing this and I thought, well, good share is share. But there are times we must flee or fall. Though Joseph has no Bible, he knows God's heart and therefore he flees. And it's the right thing to do. To terminate temptation, we must emulate Joseph's integrity and also eliminate the tempting situations. And finally, the third point, concentrate on God's purpose. This is found Genesis 39, 13 to 23. Enraged by the fact she only got Joseph's garment, Mrs. Potiphar concocts a story. Okay, this is the woman's scorn now. Now she's, although she wanted him badly, now she's gonna make sure he pays for his scorn of her. She tells her servants, Joseph tried to rape her. And when she screamed, he ran out of the house. She keeps Joseph's garment as evidence until she can tell Mr. Potiphar her lies. It's found Genesis 39, 13 through 16. And it came to pass when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and was fled forth, that she called unto the men of her house, and spoke unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in an Hebrew unto us to mock us. He came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice. And it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled, and got him out. And she laid up his garment by her until his Lord came home. So when telling Potiphar her story, she doesn't call Joseph by name. What does she call him? This is found Genesis 39, 17. And she spoke unto him according to these words, saying, the Hebrew. servant which thou hast brought unto us." Again, isn't this the classic blame shift trend of the Adam and Eve story? It's kind of very similar, isn't it? Which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me. She does this to imply to Potiphar, he has the power to dispose of Joseph any way he wishes. So after hearing his wife's lies, Potiphar burns with anger and without A proper investigation, he has Joseph put into prison with the king's prisoners, again found Genesis 39, 19 through 20. And it came to pass when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke unto him, saying, after this manner did thy servant to me, that his wrath was kindled. And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound, and he was there in the prison. Man, now you've gone from being the boss and the captain of the guard's home and everything that he has to you're a lowly prisoner in a, and you know what prisons in that time must have been like, as bad as they can be today. It is only because of the protection of the Lord that Potiphar hasn't had Joseph executed. Because he could have done that as the owner. Joseph was property. But that wasn't God's plan. Joseph loses his position and all he has worked so hard for, but he does not lose God's approval. This is because, though Joseph never read it, in his heart he agrees with this statement that's found in Psalm 84.10. And I read, for a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. Very, very powerful words. This means it is better to have the lowest place in God's house than to live in the lavish tents of the wicked. The Lord is with Joseph in prison, again, The Lord's never leaving Joseph's side here. He's always with Joseph and directing the events that surround Joseph. And he gains favor in the eyes of the prison warden. Because of the Lord's mercy and Joseph's transparent honesty and integrity, Joseph is put in charge of the other prisoners in all of the prison. It happens to him, doesn't it? Genesis 39, 21, and 22, we read, but the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison, and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. Despite the murderous intentions of his brothers and wrath of a powerful scorned seductress, the Lord's purpose for Joseph's life prevails. We need to remember this, this is important, because he has a purpose for our lives too. We follow his guidance and we will, and these are great examples for us, and we will persevere. This is a wonderful example of this promise that's found in Psalm 138.8. The Lord will perfect that which concerned me. Thy mercy, O Lord, endures forever. Forsake not the works of thine own hands. This means the Lord will accomplish his purpose for my life and your life. He always finishes what he begins in our lives, and we find this stated in Philippians 1.6. being confident of this very thing that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Perform or finish it. It's gonna be finished. When Joseph is placed in charge of the prison, there are no worries for the warden because the Lord gives Joseph success in everything he does. Genesis 39, 23, we read, the keeper of the prison looked not to anything that was under his hand. He didn't even have to watch Joseph or come by and inspect what he had put in Joseph in charge of, he just knew it was done right. Because the Lord was with him and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper. The Bible teaches that when you are tempted, you are not at the mercy of the people, pressure, or passions. Instead, there is only one thing that can cause you to give in to temptation. According to James 1.14, let's see what that is. But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own passion. lust, and enticed. So we don't have to give in to temptation. We willingly do it when we do it, and that's our, the problem is our unregenerate heart. We have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, but until we have a new body and this heart is changed for good, we still have that sin nature that we have to deal with daily. So with all of this in mind, yielding to temptation is an inside job. That means we have to do it. Something we decide to do, however, to terminate temptation, We know that we must emulate Joseph's integrity. We have to be honest and have integrity in everything that we say and do. And we must eliminate tempting situations, avoid the very appearance of evil. And finally, we've got to concentrate on God's purpose for us in our lives. So, thank you for your kind attention. Next week, we will continue this journey into victorious living series with lesson three, when life seems like a prison. Well, we know that's where Joseph presently is. So that'll be, study-wise, it's Genesis 40, one through eight. Thank you for your attention and